A complete system for delivering personalized instruction and therapy while also measuring student progress. It is also the one special education solution that supports your entire team. Designed to benefit entire districts, departments, and individual classrooms, as well as the unique needs of the students within them.

Dynavox Picture Communication Symbols® (PCS) have been used by millions of students and adults to understand and structure the world around them, communicate their thoughts, and learn to read and write.

Text to speech settings

Please note this article applies only to Personal, Professional, and District subscription accounts.

Select the Text To Speech tab on the User Settings dialog to:

Choose a speaking voice and the rate at which the voice will speak.

Enable audio cues and select a voice, speech rate, and volume.

Enable highlighting each word in the message window as it is read.

Text to speech settings are changed through the User Settings dialog.

There are two ways you can access the User Settings dialog - through the Edit link on the student profile and from the toolbar of any activity that is playing in the Boardmaker Student Center.

Note: If you have a Personal subscription, you must change user settings from the Activity Toolbar in the Student Center.

Access the User Settings Dialog From the Student Profile

Open the Student Management page. (Students > Student Management). Then select the Student ID link of the student whose settings you want to customize. His or her Student Profile will open.

Select the Edit link to the right of User Settings. The User Settings dialog will open.

Select the Text to Speech tab.

Access the User Settings Dialog From the Activity Toolbar in the Student Center:

Note: If you have a Personal subscription, you must change user settings from the Activity Toolbar in the Student Center.

From any activity that the student is playing in the Student Center:

Select the double arrow at the top left corner of the screen to open the Activity Toolbar.

Select the Settings button in the Toolbar. The Settings menu will open.

Select User Settings. The User Settings dialog will open.

Select the Text to Speechtab.

Voice Settings

Choose a speaking voice from the Voice drop-down list.

Use the Rate slider to adjust the speaking rate. Dragging the slider from left to right increases the speech rate from -10 (far left - very slow) to +10 (far right - very fast).

Select Test Voice to hear how the voice and rate of speech you have selected sounds. You can change the voice and increase or decrease the rate of speech until you are happy with the voice and the speaking rate you have chosen.

Note:The default text in the Test Speech text box is "This is how the voice currently sounds." To change the text in the text box, select it and enter your own personalized message.

Audio Cue Settings

An audio cue is single word or a short message that is played through the computer’s speakers to identify an object when the cursor (or scanning highlight) moves over the object.

(Optional) Select the Speak Audio Cue check box to enable audio cues.

Select a voice for audio cues from the Voice drop-down menu. Note: It is recommended that you select a different voice to speak audio cues than the voice you use for activities.

Use the Rate slider to adjust the speaking rate. Dragging the slider from left to right increases the speech rate from -10 (far left - very slow) to +10 (far right - very fast).

Select Test Voice to hear how the voice and rate of speech you have selected sounds.

Highlighting Settings

You have the option of highlighting each word in the message window as it is being read (or when the student selects it). You can choose a highlight style and color.

Use the Highlight Type drop-down menu to choose what will be highlighted when the message window is selected:

None - Nothing will be highlighted when the message window is selected.

Highlight Word- Each word will be highlighted as it is spoken.

Highlight Word and Symbol- Each word and its corresponding symbol will be highlighted as the word is spoken.

Highlight Sentence- Each sentence will be highlighted as it is spoken.

Highlight Sentence and Word- Each sentence will be highlighted (with Highlight Style 2) as it is spoken. Each word will be highlighted (with Highlight Style 1) as it is spoken.

Use the Highlight Style 1 and Highlight Style 2 drop-down menus to choose the style of highlighting when the message window text is spoken. Use the Color button to select colors for the different highlight styles. Note: Highlight Style 2 will only apply when you select the Highlight Sentence and Word option in the Highlight Type drop-down menu. Note: First make your selections from the Highlight Style 1 drop-down menu. When you have made your Highlight Style 1 selections, then choose options from the Highlight Style 2 drop-down menu. Select from the following highlight styles:

Fill Color - The word (or sentence) will be highlighted with the color you choose.

Outline Color - The word (or sentence) will be outlined with the color you choose.

Invert - The text and the text background color will switch. (For example, if the text is black, and the background is white, the text will appear white and the text background, black.)

Text Color - The text in the word or sentence will change to the selected color as it is spoken. Highlight Styles

Choose a color for Highlight Style 1 and Highlight Style 2.

Select the Color button (see the illustration above) to the right of the Highlight Style 1 drop-down menu. The Color Select dialog will open.

Select a standard color or create a custom color for the highlight:

To select a standard color, use the Standard Colors drop-down menu.

To create a custom color, use the R (red), G (green), and B (blue) sliders and the Opacity slider.

Select OK to close the Color Select dialog.

Select the Color button to the right of the Highlight Style 2 drop-down menu. Choose a color for Highlight Style 2.

Select OK when you are finished.

Important: When you have finished customizing all the user settings (under the Interface, Access Method, Text to Speech, and Symbols and Language tabs, Select Submit to save all of your settings and close the User Settings dialog. If you Select Cancel, all of the changes you have made to the settings will be lost.